Be Yourself

When I was growing up, I wanted to be a boy. Being the only girl and sandwiched between a brother two years younger and one four years older, only made matters worse. Besides, the boys got to do things with Dad like go hunting, fishing and digging for worms. They got to go to the barber shop, lumber yard, and feed store, whil...

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By Erin Pennington

The Carmi Times - Carmi, IL

By Erin Pennington

Posted Feb. 18, 2013 at 8:00 AM
Updated Feb 18, 2013 at 8:23 AM

By Erin Pennington

Posted Feb. 18, 2013 at 8:00 AM
Updated Feb 18, 2013 at 8:23 AM

When I was growing up, I wanted to be a boy. Being the only girl and sandwiched between a brother two years younger and one four years older, only made matters worse. Besides, the boys got to do things with Dad like go hunting, fishing and digging for worms. They got to go to the barber shop, lumber yard, and feed store, while I stayed at home.

It wasn't that I didn't like being a girl. It was that I didn't like all the rules that went with being a girl.

Girls can't get dirty; say bad words, climb tall trees, go without a shirt, or spit, just to name a few things. Basically, being a girl meant you had to stay inside and do girl things. How boring is that? So I became a tomboy.

My younger brother was always bigger than me from the time I was four and he was two. So I wore his old shirts when he out grew them. The shirts were soft and broken in and fit me just fine. They were large enough to swim around in while walking. I could tie them in a knot on my hip or at my waist and still fit two of me in there. My mother would complain. It seemed that everything she said started with "Erin you can't...", "Erin you shouldn't..." or "Erin what in the world!" My Dad would always say, "Leave her alone...she's fine just the way she is." Even if I was wearing my brother's striped tube socks.

Finally, about the age of 15, it occurred to me that boys didn't want to date other boys. So I out grew my tomboy behavior in a hurry. Overnight I became interested in all things feminine; this included make-up, clothes, high heels, perfume, and string bikinis. I am certain my parents were shocked and dismayed. I never looked back.

Here's what I know for sure...if I had not experienced who I was, then I would not have been happy with whom I became. Life is a growing process. I was coming out of a cocoon. Be yourself - no matter what.